1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a ball striking practice device. More particularly it relates to a device which enables a user to practice repetitively striking a practice ball locatable on a tether to one of a plurality of vertically preset locations, resulting in a realistic resistance and flight of a stuck ball and a quick controlled return of the object to the same location for re-striking. The distance of the practice ball from the user and the ground is adjustable by adaptation of the pole structure used to mount the ball tether or by adjustment of the mounting of the ball on the tether.
2. Prior Art
Ball striking practice devices are commonly used in the United States and throughout the world to improve one's skill in games which involve the striking of an object such as a baseball, softball, tennis ball, hand ball, racket ball with a striking instrument such as racket, bat stick, or one's hand, which most such practice ball striking positioning devices have failed to duplicate the normal striking position of the user or a realistic feel and flight of a ball, namely a pitched object when impacted.
Others have been deficient because of their complexity or have been expensive for purchase by young ball players. Or, they lack features to prevent dangerous return movement of the ball after it is hit or to return the ball in a hitting position with a simulated pitching motion. Furthermore, the development of batting skills is currently accomplished with the use of costly pitching machines and batting drills utilizing pitchers at some risk to the latter. Hitting practice requires a substantial open area to avoid risk to other players. Accordingly, hitting practice is often limited by lack of space, pitching machines and/or pitchers to throw for batting practice.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,027,880 to Adke teaches a tennis ball attached to a combination of horizontal elastic and inelastic cords which necessarily require the striker to straddle one of the cords, thus preventing practice on a high positioned practice ball.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,088,316 to SZAFIANSKI retrains the struck object along only one axis, in this case the vertical axis. There is a substantial danger that the return flight of the ball will fly directly toward the striker. If the ball is hard, like a baseball, injury can result.
U.S. Pat. No. 2,270,957 to MEARS is also restrained along a single axis, requires attachment to a permanent structure, and although the resistance may be varied by movement of the person, does not permit motion of a static resistance to the struck ball. Additionally, this device does not provide the ability to selectively position the ball along the vertical axis for different strokes.
Tethered apparatus such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,576,379 to Juhasz, U.S. Pat. No. 4,462,599 to Brown, U.S. Pat. No. 4,216,960 to Nicfolls, and U.S. Pat. No. 1,708,796 to Lawrence all merely suspend a ball from a tether but do not provide the feel, flight, safety, nor any control on the speed of return of the ball and dampening advantages of the present invention.
US. Pat. No. 5,048,828 to Love, provides a batting practice device although safe, adjustable in height and cost-effective but uses two non-elastic rope materials as tethers. The dampening delays caused by the rope resistance during its winding and unwinding motion do not provide the player the feel, flight nor the simulation of a ball projected by centrifugal forces similar to a pitched ball by a pitcher nor the device has any features for controlling the speed of return of the ball as advanced in the present invention.
U.S. Pat. NO. 5,135,219 to Mceon et al. teaches a baseball batting practice using two tethered ropes, one snugly lined by a metal tube. With the same problems of dampening and delays than Love, the practice device also does not provide any control on the speed of return of the ball.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,340,101 to Lawson et al. teaches a training apparatus using a fence and a series of cable clamps to tie-down the apparatus arms to the fences. Such practice devices are restricted to outdoor places that necessarily have fences and where noise and accuracy of the ball's position at return due to the effect of the fence vibrations are not important to the player. The device has not the advantages of feel, flight, safety and controls of the present invention.
There thus exists the need for a batting practice device that provides safety of use, and for improved hand and eye coordination of players, which can be used in a confined space by containing the travel of the ball. The ball movements should closely simulate real conditions of balls pitched by a pitcher and an adjustable system of control of the speed of return, and adjustment of target height, thus providing a manner for accelerating and improving the learning process into more advanced levels.